In a last-minute deal, the Colorado Legislature approved a plan that will provide more money for highway construction and repairs, including possible toll roads.

Gov. Bill Owens is expected to sign the bill, calling it “the most important transportation bill to pass in 50 years.”
The transportation bill could translate into $15 billion more for transportation in the future, including $4 billion in anticipated revenues that could be generated through the construction of new toll roads.
Some of the projects that have been put on hold because of a funding shortfall include improvements to I-70 near Grand Junctions and U.S. 50 north of Delta, and widening I-25 north of Denver.
The Colorado Motor Carriers Assn. says the establishment of the statewide tolling authority was a key concern. “While CMCA and the trucking community as a whole is very leery of toll roads, CMCA's Legislative and Governmental Affairs Committee recognized that the state faced a serious shortfall in transportation funding and that this avenue may be the only means to add new highways and lanes within the state,” the association said in a weekly e-mail newsletter.
CMCA was successful in seeking several key safeguards in the toll authority section of the legislation:

• The state will not be permitted to toll existing state highway lanes.

• The tolling authority cannot mandate any specific class of vehicles to use the toll lanes – for instance, the trucks-only toll lanes that will be used to widen Interstate 81 in Virginia.

• The toll authority can’t restrict any particular type of vehicle, such as trucks, from using new toll roads.

• The Transportation Commission must present a report to both houses of the Legislature annually and discuss any proposals relating to proposed toll corridors or changes to toll rates. This annual report must also be available on the Internet.

• Tolls may only be used for construction, improvements, and maintenance of the corridor where the tolls are applied. Once the bonds for that corridor are fully paid, tolls are to be reduced to the level necessary for maintenance and reconstruction.